Monday Message
1/30/17
Garden Trivia
From seeds planted in the Fall, this vegetable is now flourishing in the MEA garden. Can you tell what it is? See answer below.
Secondary Study Group Schedule
With the addition of Mr. Nielsen now teaching some of the secondary study groups, the schedule has changed. Updated schedule link
National Honor Society
Mt. Everest Academy has a distinguished National Honor Society chapter. Our students demonstrate community services and leadership that complements their stellar academic performance (must have a GPA of 3.75 or higher). If you are in grades 10, 11, or 12 and think that you may qualify to join our Mt. Everest chapter, visit Dr. Rodenberg's teacher page and download the application form. You may submit your completed application to her (in room 2) until the first "turn in Friday" of semester 2 (Friday, February 24).
Applications are reviewed by a confidential committee of five evaluators and those who are inducted will be announced in the "Monday Message" on March 6.
Bucket Filler Certificates
To keep the kindness flowing, we are launching our new rewards system for K-6 students who are kind to others at school. Students can earn “bucket filler certificates” and turn them in for prizes in the library.
How it works:
- Earn bucket filler certificates by being kind to others and filling their buckets. K-6 teachers, as well as Ms Bradford. Miss Barb, Ms Ele, Miss Suzy, Miss Vivian and Mrs. Browne who catch you in the act can give you one!
- Collect your certificates until you have at least three.
- Redeem your prize by bringing certificates to the library and turning them in.
Prize list:
3 certificates: A Mt Everest pencil or bracelet!
6 certificates: Receive a free Jumbo Jack from Jack in the Box!
9 certificates: Receive a free kid’s meal from Islands Restaurant!
Thank you for donating to the hygiene drive!
For the start of the new year, the Social Advocacy Club chose to donate hygiene products and kits to the International Rescue Committee, a non-profit organization that gives refugees a fresh start at life after fleeing from war-torn nations around the world. These various personal care products are essential for preparing a new, furnished home for refugee families. Every shampoo or soap bar donated is much appreciated, as it makes a refugee’s house more practical and homey. Together, as a community, we have supplied 42 complete kits and various miscellaneous hygiene items like feminine products, body sprays, and skincare items. Thank you to the MEA community for granting the gifts of comfort and cleanliness to over 42 refugee families!
Priscilla H. of the Social Advocacy Club interned last summer at the International Rescue Committee. Read about her experience under the Student Spotlight section below.
Gathering up donations
Packed up and ready to go!
Thank you certificate to MEA
***** UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES *****
SSC/SGT Meeting
Wednesday, February 1 / 2:00 / Room 11
All parents are invited to attend the School Site Committee (SSC) meeting. The SSC is a shared decision-making body composed of parents, staff, and students. Our Council identifies needs for academic programs and sets budgets to support these programs. For questions, please contact Mrs. Courtney Browne at cbrowne@sandi.net
MEA Science Fair
Thursday, February 2 / 11:30-1:30 / Auditorium
Come celebrate science exploration!
Come to our 3rd Annual MEA Science Fair Open House any time between 11:30 and 1:30 to enjoy a light lunch and learn from our young researchers. The students have been working hard on their projects exploring a wide variety of science topics. We really appreciate your interactions with them and your support in their efforts.
Thank you and see you there!
Field Day
Friday, February 3 / 12:00-2:00 pm
Come join teachers and ASB students as we have fun being active outdoors all together! Come play games like soccer and flag football; join Ms. Flo at the parachute and check out the relay races and 3 legged race! We'll also have egg races, pig ball with Mr. Sharp and wall ball! The ping pong table will be set up as well as the volleyball court! Join in our fun community event! MEA t-shirts and water bottles will be available for sale. Fresh fruit and water will be available at the wellness table!
Parent PALS
Wednesday, February 8 / 10:00 / Cafeteria
Looking for ideas, support, motivation or connection? Join other MEA parents for a monthly meet and greet. The meeting will feature a speaker, group discussion, or parent panel and also allow time for socializing. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided. Feel free to bring a brunch dish to share and any curriculum or teaching tools you have found useful (optional). Babies and students are welcome; PALS and extracurricular options coincide with this meeting as well. Mark your calendar for upcoming meetings: February 8th, March 1st, and April 5th in the Cafeteria.
Family Fun Food Community Day at Jersey Mikes!
Thursday, February 9 / ALL DAY LONG! / Jersey Mikes
Please come grab lunch or dinner at Jersey Mikes in the Balboa Mesa Shopping Center just minutes from MEA ! As with all fundraisers, some of your purchase cost will come back to MEA to support all the fun things we do here at school. Thank you for helping our community with your purchase!
“Spiritual Diversity in Education”
Thursday, February 9 / 12:00 - 3:00 / Room B-16
Ms. Deb Mech is facilitating Spiritual Diversity in Education which is open to all parents, students, staff, and community members. This workshop is a fully inclusive whole-child / holistic approach to tolerance and understanding and fully aligns with our mission of equity and integrated health and wellness. Light refreshments will be served.
To RSVP or for more information, please contact Ms. Mech at dmech@sandi.net.
* Middle School & High School Dances *
Thursday, February 9
3:30-5:30pm Middle School: Free admission, $5 for Ice Cream Bar
6:30-9:30pm High School: $10 admission, free Ice Cream Bar with admission
All students must bring this signed permission form. Come join in and enjoy the music and fun with friends!
The Blue Ribbon Ceremony
Friday, February 10 / 1:00-2:30 / MEA Auditorium
Mt. Everest Academy is honored to announce that Helice "Sparky" Bridges, TEDx Presenter, will be coming to speak at our school! Sparky is the creator of the world famous "Who I Am Makes A Difference" Blue Ribbon. This message has impacted over 40 million people worldwide. Her "Blue Ribbon Movie" was #1 on YouTube for 10 weeks in the nonprofit category. Click here to learn more about this amazing woman and make plans now to be here on Friday, February 10!For Parents with Little-Little Ones
Wednesday, February 15 / 9:30 am / Cafeteria
Do you have babies or toddlers or preschoolers in your care while you teach your older students? Join a group of MEA parents in the same situation as you. Come share or learn strategies to keep the little ones busy while you teach your older children. Babies and students are welcome; PALS and extracurricular options coincide with this meeting as well.
Opera Field Trip
Thursday, February 16 / 5:00-9:30pm / Civic Theatre
MEA is offering a FREE opportunity for 40 of our students and 5 chaperones to attend an opera in downtown San Diego. Transportation will be by school bus and will be chaperoned by staff and parents. Appropriate “theatre” attire is recommended. Please sign up by filling out a fieldtrip form in the office. We are still in need of one parent chaperone, so if you are interested please email Principal Browne at cbrowne@sandi.net. Details are below.
What: The Opera “Falstaff” performed by SD Opera
Where: Civic Theatre downtown SD
When: February 16, 2017, 5:00-9:30 pm. (Transportation is by school bus. Students will meet at MEA at 5:00 and return to MEA at about 9:30)
Who: MEA students grades 5-12
***** MAKERSPACE *****
Link to Makerspace calendar of activities.
From Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30-2:30, the Makerspace is open for students ready to tinker and create, unless an activity is listed as "participants only" (marked with an asterisk on the calendar). Questions? Contact supervisors: Nikki Bradford (nbradford@sandi.net) or Barb Mulvany (bmulvany@sandi.net)
"Tower o' Power" Weight Test!
Tuesday, January 31 / 12:00 pm / Makerspace
Who will win the January Challenge "Tower o' Power!!!" Join us as we see which tower withstands the most weight and who is Engineer of the Month!
Tasty Treats from the MEA Garden
Wednesday, February 1 / 11:30-12:15 / Makerspace
Come try out some goodies from the garden. We'll have fresh vegetables picked from the garden for you to munch on! Yum!
Tools and More!
Wednesdays / 12:15-1:30 / Makerspace
5 classes, starting this Wednesday, Feb. 1
Know a student interested in tools and the inner workings of engines? Come join Mr. Goldwater as he teaches about tools and introduces the internal combustion engine and how it works. Lubrication and moving parts will be examined. Disassembly of the engine will include learning the name and functions of each part. All of this will be taught in a five series class starting the first Wednesday in February from 12:15 to 1:30. You don’t want to miss it!
Hands-on + diagrams included
this engine will be taken apart!
ALL STUDENTS WELCOME
***** EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES *****
Model United Nations Club (MUN), 2017!
Hello, future delegates!
In 2017, you will be able to learn more about the Model United Nations and how to participate in it, such as how to be a part of a committee as a delegate. We will enjoy fun activities and discussions, such as on game theory, effective speaking, and research on countries, at the Model UN Club at MEA!
Newcomers are always welcome at the Model UN Club! As a new delegate, you will be able to receive resources for more info on the MUN after your first meeting, or on request.
There will be 2 available times to attend this week (pick 1):
- Tuesday, Jan 31, 11:00 – 11:55
- Wednesday, Feb 1, 12: 30 – 1:30
All meetings for the MUN are currently planned to be hosted in Room 9.
See you there!
Questions? Please contact meamunclub@gmail.com
***** COUNSELING CORNER *****
Mesa College Admissions Contact
Melissa Olivia-Sanchez is the Mesa College admissions person and can be reached at 692-388-2230 or colivasa@sdccd.edu.
PSAT Results with Mr. Zappala
Tuesday, January 31 / 12:00-12:30 / Room 6 (computer lab)
Mr. Zappala is holding this assembly to review PSAT results with students that took the test last October. Come learn how to interpret and use the PSAT scores. Parents are welcome. FREE PIZZA!
9th grade families: Meet with Mr. Zappala
February 6-24
In February, Mr. Zappala is offering conference times to 9th grade students and parents that would like to discuss their 4-year plan. Appointment times are available from 8:00 am-3:00 pm, Feb. 6-16 and Feb. 21-24.
***** LIBRARY *****
February Contest
Our library is offering a prize to all students who write about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Tell us in 50 words or more why you chose that president and what, in your opinion, was his greatest contribution to our country and why. Your entry must be hand written and submitted to the library by 2:00, February 8th. All submissions will be published in a booklet that will be available for pick up in the library, and may be posted around the school. Here is a great place to begin your research
5th Grade Library Time
On Wednesdays, the Library Time for grade 5 has been moved to 12:00-12:15pm. Updated extracurricular activities schedule.
Book It!
Students, you still have time to submit November, December and January reading logs. Please bring them to the library for your FREE PIZZA HUT coupons. Then you may pick up a reading log for February. Only 2 months left for the program(February and March). Happy reading and yummy pizza!!!
***** STUDENT SPOTLIGHT *****
As Mt. Everest Academy offers students the “flexibility to pursue your passion,” our school has many students that are doing just that! To share your child's special activities in the Monday Message, please send an email to Linda Ele at lele@sandi.net. Thank you!
Priscilla H. learns first-hand about refugees in San Diego
Priscilla H., grade 11, of the MEA Social Advocacy Club spent part of last summer as an intern at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in San Diego. Her experience working there made a lasting impression on her, as she learned firsthand about refugees' situations.
Priscilla was struck by how many refugees she met were doctors, teachers, and CEOs in their homeland, and how after they lost basically everything, they are now doing whatever they can to rebuild their lives in the US. And she heard about how they had to go through a very, very extreme screening process to make it to our country. While Priscilla was at the IRC center, she saw the agency helping refugees to learn English, our social customs, and to find work and housing.
As well as helping out in the IRC center, Priscilla also got a chance to visit local businesses that refugees either worked in or owned, a lot of which are located in City Heights. She says City Heights is a really fun place to visit because of all the ethnically diverse, authentic restaurants, i.e. Somalian, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, etc. These restaurants use fresh ingredients from a shared community garden where all the different ethnic groups can grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs native to their country of origin. Here are a few of the businesses:
- Hoai Hue - Authentic Vietnamese Noodles and Soup - 4660 El Cajon Blvd.
- Red Sea - Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine - 4717 University Ave.
- New Roots Community Farm - Small Organic Community Farm - 54th St. & Chollas Pkwy.
- Fatuma Restaurant - Authentic Somalian Cuisine - 4869 University Ave.
- Phuong Nga Banh Cuon - Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls & Dishes - 4141 University Ave.
- A Chau Restaurant - Authentic Vietnamese Sandwiches & Dishes - 4644 El Cajon Blvd.
Priscilla now encourages her family to patronize restaurants like these, both to support the refugees' businesses and because the food is so delicious!
Priscilla says the most important thing she learned from her internship was that the refugees were just doing what anyone else would do for their own families, if they were in the same situation.
MEA presents scientific papers at Astronomy Symposium
Click for more pictures from the presentation
The Mt. Everest Academy Astronomy Research Seminar sent four teams to present papers at an astronomy symposium held at the Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Branch Library on Jan. 28th. The papers presented were:
- Team Gamma Ray Burst's (Schuyler S., Norm Negus, Ben S., Randy Shimabukuro) "CCD Measurements of Common Proper Motion Pair CBL 125"
- Team Pulsar's (Greta V. and Hilde van den Bergh) "Astrometric Measurement of Double Star System 03074+1753"
- Team Quasar's (Galileo R. and Nathan H.) "CCD Astrometry of ES 9001AB and BU 9001AC in Star System WDS 00052+4514"
- Team Rocket's (Skylar L., Sophie R., Ally S., and Josh G.) "Double Star Systems WDS 00026+1841 and WDS 00002-2519: An Investigation"
About eight other teams from Grossmont College, Miramar College, The Cambridge School, and Westview High School also presented papers.
Scientific Papers Accepted for Publication
Team Pulsar's paper, and a paper written by Schuyler S. based on her science fair data, have already been peer reviewed and accepted for publication by the Journal of Double Star Observations in their July 2017 issue. It is expected that the other teams' papers will soon be accepted as well.
Information about the seminar is available at http://www.boyce-astro.org/spring-semester-2017.html.
***** COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS *****
Black History Speech Contest
Tuesday, February 28 / 5:30-7:30pm / Malcolm X Library
Give a 3-minute speech about an African American person throughout Black History and win a PRIZE! Grade levels: Elementary 2nd – 5th grade, Middle School and High School. The first 30 students will be selected to participate. Black History Speech Contest info and registration
***** REVIEW MEA *****
Are you enjoying all that MEA has to offer? Got something nice to say about your school? Please share your thoughts on greatschools.com. Let’s get the word out about all the wonderful things about MEA!
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A Hidden Treasure
Here's an up-close look at the little vegetable growing amidst all those leaves: BROCCOLI!